I definitely need to start using speakers

I always used headphones for everything (they are Sennheiser 280HD).

Appart that using headphones for a long time can fuck your ears (Im allright tho), I read here that you'll need monitors specially for doing a proper equalization.

Btw, I use the KX Drivers (http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/intro.php).

They let you tweak bass and treble, default being 0.0dB on both. The question is: would you recommend composing on default settings? Since I don't like how default settings sound, I always pump a lot the treble and a little bit the bass too, since I like it bassy but clear.

Thanks.

i'd say keep it on default, get to know the sound of the speakers without any extra eq.

make sure you also play comparison tracks through the speakers (i.e. other peoples tracks you think sound well mixed)

try to use the minimum amount of eq possible, and don't apply an overall master eq (try to correct those problems at the track level).

if overall eq is needed at the mastering stage, then fair enough, but you should try and sort that out at the mixing stage.

The idea of mixing on studio monitors is to not have any added frequencies in the speakers. So when you mess with the eq on your own system, you mess with how other people will hear it on theirs. You want to hear it for what it actually is, not what your system is making the music sound like.

  Braintree said:

The idea of mixing on studio monitors is to not have any added frequencies in the speakers. So when you mess with the eq on your own system, you mess with how other people will hear it on theirs. You want to hear it for what it actually is, not what your system is making the music sound like.

Thats exactly the point.

Now, on buying some: Any recomendations, online stores, etc?

  stolemb said:

  Braintree said:

The idea of mixing on studio monitors is to not have any added frequencies in the speakers. So when you mess with the eq on your own system, you mess with how other people will hear it on theirs. You want to hear it for what it actually is, not what your system is making the music sound like.

 

Thats exactly the point.

 

Now, on buying some: Any recomendations, online stores, etc?

you don't need the most expensive set possible. I recommend an A/B setup. I have a ghetto-blaster on A and a pair of cheap old spirit absolute zeros on B. I switch between them while mixing, using the ghetto-blaster to see how the sub bass is working on a non hifi system and the monitors to see how it'll sound on a hifi system. If it sounds good on both A and B then I feel like i'm in the right area mix wise.

don't forget that the most colouration you'll get in a monitor system will be from positioning of the speakers and any room reflections, so if you are going for a high end setup, you'll need to sort out sound deadening tiles and what - not for your room.

richer sound are good (UK only)

  ۞ Syntheme ۞ said:

don't forget that the most colouration you'll get in a monitor system will be from positioning of the speakers and any room reflections, so if you are going for a high end setup, you'll need to sort out sound deadening tiles and what - not for your room.

^^ yeah that is very important

Ive recommended a few of my students the tapco s8's. there ok speakers, pretty good for the money (about £250-£300). you can get the s5's (with a 5inch speaker) for quite a bit cheaper and they are pretty good too.

I use and highly rate the bluesky mediadesks, they're a great set of speakers but require a bit more setting up as they have a sub too (and its very important to set up a sub correctly even if, like the bluesky's, it is smoothly integrated into the systems response as a whole) they go for about £380-£400.

spend MUCH more than that and you will start to need to evaluate you're rooms response accurately as well, or you will be wasting money a bit!

hope that helps

o